Musical Discoveries of 2015: An Extended Piece

So over the course of 2015 I discovered a lot of cool new music I never expected to get into, while I touched on some of it with my previous article, I thought I’d go more in depth here, drop a few pics and tasty YouTube links for you guys. Have a read, you might find something you like.

tricot

Tricot (stylised as tricot) are a Japanese experimental rock quartet from Kyoto, formed in 2010. They’ve currently got two full lengths out, released through their own label, the latest one  A.N.D. coming out last year. Their sound is a quite playful and energetic one, combining the intricate rhythms and twinkling guitars of math rock with the thrust and punch of post-punk, all draped in soaring pop hooks. A keen visual sensibility exists with their videos too, if you want something happy and lovely give these a listen.

For Fans Of: Hinto, The Fall Of Troy, Everything Everything.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/8RnoV1XZRFw - their track "omonetashi", rather more straightforward than their usual output but with some interesting twists.

Stories

Stories are an Australian metalcore band signed to UNFD, home to such names as Northlane and In Hearts Wake. While their debut EP, Void occupied a quite djent influenced sphere, their full length, The Youth To Become, is a rather different affair. Merging peace and calm with a unique, dark atmosphere, the hardcore influences are more pronounced, with this band coming closer than anyone else to capturing Underoath’s experimental intensity.

For Fans Of: Underoath, Norma Jean, In Hearts Wake.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/iKRejeIBbJE - "Under Haze", a dark punishing track with the suffocating vibes of the last Underoath album

.

Currents

Currents are an American metalcore/deathcore act from Connecticut. Active since 2009, they are notable for their technical skill, pummelling breakdowns, vicious screams and a sound that takes in a wide range of influences from across the metal spectrum, blending them into something quite distinctive. The tumultuous riffing of Breakdown Of Sanity, the low end heft of the Acacia Strain, the dark suffocating atmosphere of Barrier, all can be heard with this band. They have an EP, full length (Life // Lost) and a few singles out, keep an eye on them, I’m expecting great things.

For Fans Of: Structures, Barrier, Reflections.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/j_RkjyBvhhQ - "Sleep Paralysis", a good introduction to their mixture of techniques and haunting use of melody.

Novelist

While grime has recently come back into fashion due to contributions by Skepta, Stormzy, Meridian Dan and many other new artists and veterans returning to the style, newcomer Novelist stands out from the pack. This is due to his verbal dexterity, insane flow and his instrumentals, which are rooted in early grime but with a strong experimental flair. His material may have the artsy vibes to bring in the hipsters, but it is firmly rooted in the streets of London, his music capturing that claustrophobia. He has a number of singles and freestyles out, signed to XL Records an album may drop in 2016.

For Fans Of: Dizzee Rascal, Ghetts, Tempa T

https://www.youtube.com/embed/OaG2RyDxQlk - "1 Sec", a collaboration with underground dance artist Mumdance, capturing the dark urban vibes that separate him from the rest.

Bully

In 2015 there wasn't exactly a shortage of young guitar bands bringing back the 90's, but Bully are the best of that bunch. Packing some catchy tunes, raw, scuzzy production and a vocal performance from frontwoman Alicia Bognanno that swings violently from sweet to terrifying, they are able to capture the energy of 90's alt rock without merely appearing to be a retread of what came before. Their debut, Feels Like, came out in 2015, I would highly recommend giving that a spin

For Fans Of: Wolf Alice, Drenge, Hole

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ULYTqO2YDuU - "I Remember", their most vicious track, a guitar driven middle finger to exes everywhere barely crossing the two minute mark.

Capsize

Southern California melodic hardcore band formed at the end of 2009, their last full length came out in late 2014, with a couple new songs coming out recently. As an avid fan of their subgenre, I'm pretty disappointed in myself for sleeping on them for so long. Their sound is raw, aggressive and has some of the most tortured sounding vocals out there

For Fans Of: Counterparts, More Than Life, Dead Swans.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/7vBtvXgauk0 - "The Angst In My Veins" has it all, ringing guitars, throaty screams and confessional lyrics.

SOAK

Northern Irish native SOAK first came to my attention when a good friend of mine referenced knowing her, though I only started listening properly when her cover of BMTH's Drown was released on YouTube. She makes some quite lovely dreamy indie folk, her voice tender with melancholy undertones. There's a lot of Irish bands I'm not interested in promoting just because we share the same rainswept miserable island but do do check her out please folks.

For Fans Of: Bon Iver, Agnes Obel, Daughter (not the noise band Daughters).

https://www.youtube.com/embed/VgaRm9j8SQI - "Sea Creatures", a soothing, sorrowful number.

$UICIDEBOY$

The internet has had a very profound effect on hip hop, with Soulja Boy going supersonic off a meme song, more and more music becoming available and the traditional geographical scene lines becoming blurred. A new subgenre of internet spawned hip hop is coming about, and $UICIDEBOY$ represent its darkest corner. 2 New Orleans natives fuelled by old Three Six Mafia tapes and lives of opiate abuse and mental illness, their art is brutal and uncompromising, yet somehow beautiful at the same time.

For Fans Of: Lil Ugly Mane, Bones, Raider Klan.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/3uGWtL-17y0 - "Kill Yourself Part III", built around a sampled track from the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack and contorted flows, it strikes a strange chord.

Viet Cong

Despite the somewhat dodgy and edgy name (name change to be announced), Viet Cong are a group worth checking out. Formed from the ashes of Canadian indie band Women, their sound is a cavernous, reverb heavy take on post punk, their sound peppered with elements of Joy Division, Echo And The Bunnymen and industrial music. Their debut full length came out in early 2015 on Jagjaguwar records and one of that year's strongest releases.

For Fans Of: Suicide, Joy Division, Women.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/hdMz7BUtOvk - "Continental Shelf", a soaring riff and crushing atmosphere with some quite distinctive vocals.

Camera Obscura

      

While they've been active since the late 90's and last released an album in 2013, I've somehow managed to sleep on these Scottish indie-pop heroes. Their sound occupies a similar space to Belle And Sebastian, both groups plying a wistful sound heavily indebted to classic British pop and often featuring luscious orchestration. However Camera Obscura stand out due to their unique melancholic tendencies, helped in great part by frontwoman Tracyanne Campbell's vocals.

For Fans Of: Belle And Sebastian, Kings Of Convenience, Fleetwood Mac

https://www.youtube.com/embed/O3CkfvYMCWM - "French Navy", their most popular song, a lush, heavenly, bittersweet love song.

White Lung

Introduced to me by my college radio show co-host, someone who's a thousand times more punk than anyone I could name, White Lung are a Canadian punk band. While it may seem apt to compare them to riot grrl bands, White Lung have a rather different thing going on. Their sound melds the full on frenzy of hardcore with guitarwork that is brittle and angular, almost like Gang Of Four without the funk influence. Their last album came out on Domino in 2014 and a new one is expected later this year, keep an eye on them if you like unique aggressive music with some of the best vocals in the genre.

For Fans Of: Metz, Cloud Nothings, Husker Du's early stuff

https://www.youtube.com/embed/yFdVu6_w5ME - "The Bad Way", a ferocious burst of punk fury with an irresistible chorus.  

Nails

If you like heavy music, oh boy you are gonna love Nails. Spearheading a movement of hardcore bands including the likes of Black Breath and Trap Them, their music is almost ridiculous in how utterly destructive it is. Elements of Converge, Entombed, Napalm Death and even doom metal can all be heard within their sound, which is frantic but never quite losing focus which is an admirable thing

For Fans Of: Converge, Trap Them, All Pigs Must Die

https://www.youtube.com/embed/KE4kNkfZFOQ - "Conform/Scum Will Rise", 1 minutes 38 seconds of the most violent punk/metal/hardcore/noise in existence.

Vince Staples

Coming from Long Beach, California, fans of Odd Future may recognise him as a frequent collaborator with Earl Sweatshirt. For those who don't however, Vince is one of the most interesting rappers to come out of the West Coast scene. His beats are less G-funk, more almost Joy Division like in their ability to conjure up a dark atmosphere in their sparseness. His lyrics are dexterous, focussing on his involvement with gangs yet always with a tinge of regret, making him one of this generation's great storytellers. His debut, Summertime '06 came out last year, please do check it out, all of you, so he eventually plays Ireland.

For Fans Of: Earl Sweatshirt, Joey Bada$$, Freddy Gibbs

https://www.youtube.com/embed/mb6Jc4juSF8 - "Norf Norf", an autobiographic tale of growing up on the north side of Long Beach, it's a grim, haunting number.

The Mountain Goats

Cult lo-fi heroes, John Green's favourite band, some of my regulars are undoubtedly familiar with this group but let's face it, not nearly enough people listen to The Mountain Goats. Having a long career spanning nearly 3 decades and focussed around songwriter John Darnielle, their music is an indie folk blend with irresistible songwriting. There's a wealth of material for ye to check out so I'll drop my favourite song here.

For Fans Of: Neutral Milk Hotel, Iron & Wine, Modest Mouse

https://www.youtube.com/embed/sskFjbHu_W0 - "Autoclave", more refined than most of their output but with a raw emotive edge.

Crystal Lake

Metalcore's in a pretty good spot at the minute, despite the glut of bands playing out the same old clichés, there's a few artists trying something new. Crystal Lake are one of them. Hailing from Japan, their sound is a throwback to the Suicide Season era of Bring Me The Horizon, full of filthy riffs, bouncy breakdowns, occasional heroic bursts of melody and some strong vocals. Having recently signed to Artery Records and releasing an album in 2014, it won't be long before they kick off in the Western world and I for own welcome our new overlords.

For Fans Of: Crossfaith, Architects, The Ghost Inside

https://www.youtube.com/embed/6OnOXCu-BCI - "Matrix", bouncy, dexterous and occasionally dipping into unexpected levels of heaviness.

So there you have it, 15 bands I found in 2015, woo yeah, gwan the lads.